TellyCast: The content industry podcast

This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Andrew Eastel, Managing Director of Middlechild Productions, for a fascinating conversation about how traditional TV production companies can adapt to the digital-first production economy.
Andrew explains how Middlechild launched the hugely successful Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh YouTube channel, why factual producers may be better placed for social video than they realise, and how TV indies can build long-term IP businesses beyond traditional commissioning.
The discussion explores YouTube strategy, digital monetisation, brand partnerships, broadcaster pre-sales, connected TV viewing habits, audience behaviour, and why producers should think like entrepreneurs when building social video channels.
Andrew also reveals how Middlechild’s new digital division Wildchild is developing future-facing content brands in areas including pets and survival, and explains why digital-first production could eventually create more stable long-term work for freelancers.
This episode is essential listening for anyone working in TV production, social video, YouTube strategy, digital-first content, or the wider creator economy.
Key Topics:
• The success of Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh on YouTube
• Why TV producers still have valuable advantages in digital
• How broadcasters may increasingly acquire digital-first IP
• Building long-term content brands beyond commissioning
• YouTube as a search engine and connected TV platform
• Monetisation strategies beyond YouTube ad revenue
• Why producers need a business model before a format idea
• The future of factual TV and digital-first production
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Spotify is no longer just an audio platform. Video podcasts are now at the centre of its growth strategy — and according to Spotify’s Rowan Collinson, they are rapidly becoming one of the most important opportunities in the digital-first production economy.  
In this episode of TellyCast, Justin Crosby speaks to Rowan Collinson, Audience Lead at Spotify, about why video podcasts are exploding, how creators are building entire IP ecosystems around shows, and what traditional TV producers need to understand about succeeding in social video and podcasting.
Rowan explains why podcasting is becoming a natural entry point for TV indies moving into digital-first content, how Spotify’s Partner Programme creates new revenue opportunities, and why genres like comedy, true crime and interview formats are thriving on the platform.
The conversation also explores data, retention metrics, creator monetisation, the rise of vertical video, Channel 4’s move into Spotify video podcasts, and why the future belongs to always-on content brands rather than traditional six-part TV commissions.
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Recorded live at How to Make Money in Digital on April 20th 2026, this episode of TellyCast features Tim Taylor MBE, the creator of Time Team, in a candid conversation about bringing one of the UK’s most beloved factual formats into the digital-first era.
Tim shares the inside story of how Time Team moved from traditional broadcaster funding to a fan-supported model on Patreon, and what that shift has meant for production, audience relationships, and creative control. From building a global community of supporters to balancing YouTube reach with subscriber exclusivity, this is a rare, practical look at how legacy TV IP can be reimagined for today’s social video landscape.
The conversation also dives into the realities of scaling down production teams, the challenges of converting audience attention into paying fans, and why staying true to the core DNA of a format is critical when evolving it for digital platforms. Along the way, Tim reflects on what producers can learn from Time Team’s journey, including how to test ideas with audiences, monetise catalogue content, and navigate a world where data, community, and storytelling increasingly intersect.
If you’re a TV producer, content creator, or media executive looking to understand how established brands can survive—and thrive—in the digital-first production economy, this is essential listening.
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This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby speaks to Timothy Oh from COL Group, one of the biggest players in the booming micro drama business.
As the company behind platforms including ReelShort, Timothy explains why short-form, vertical storytelling has exploded in China and the US, why it is now starting to spread across Europe, and what it could mean for broadcasters, producers and content businesses in the UK.
The conversation explores why micro drama has already overtaken the Chinese box office, how companies are making tens of millions of dollars from series costing a fraction of traditional TV budgets, and why the next battle will be fought over monetisation, IP and audience ownership.
Justin and Timothy also discuss why British audiences may need their own version of micro drama, why the current content often feels too “cheesy” for UK viewers, and how broadcasters could reinvent familiar brands and soaps for a vertical, mobile-first world.
Inside this episode:
– Why micro drama has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in global entertainment
– How COL Group built a global micro drama empire
– The role of apps including ReelShort in driving the market
– Why UK broadcasters and producers are starting to pay attention
– How data, testing and constant iteration drive success in social video
– Whether micro drama will eventually move onto platforms like YouTube, TikTok and streaming services
– Why the future of digital-first storytelling may depend on creating local content for local audiences
If you want to understand where the next wave of social video and digital-first entertainment is heading, this is an episode you do not want to miss.
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This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby sits down with Matt Campion, co-founder of Spirit Studios, for a deep dive into how one of the UK’s most established digital-first production companies is building for the future.
Matt explains how Spirit evolved from an early digital production business into a multi-strand content company spanning originals, podcasts, branded content, YouTube channel management and new vertical video formats. He talks through Spirit’s revenue model, why digital growth demands a different mindset from traditional TV, and why building platform-native IP is a long-term entrepreneurial play rather than a quick fix.
The conversation also explores how audience data shapes development, why production companies need to think beyond single commissions, and what the next generation of super indies could look like in a world where content brands need to live across YouTube, podcasts, social video, streaming and linear.
Justin and Matt also discuss the rise of micro drama, the reality of making money in digital, the value of owning IP, and what legacy producers still misunderstand about the digital-first production economy. To close, Matt gives his take on the launch of Saturday Night Live UK and what it says about risk, ambition and the future of entertainment.
This is a sharp conversation for anyone working in TV, digital production, podcasting or social video who wants to understand where the content business is heading next.
If you work in production and want to understand how the digital-first economy really works, this episode is for you.
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